Speaking Tips

 

Playing the House

Instead, aim for delivering a presentation that is engaging, audience specific, and in sync with your values. Commit to your material. And let the chips fall where they may....

Highly Overrated

Find your approach, your voice, and your interpretation of the material. Even if your firm has constructed the content or PowerPoint, you can present it with your insights and personal style that will make it sing. Happy 2020....

Art of War

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your development, aspirations and accomplishments over the years. Speaking with integrity and passion is the human gift-- make it your contribution to the world....

Spanish Leather

So, instead of boots of Spanish leather, let your gift of the season be a renewed sense of respect for and openness to others, signaled by a warm hello and welcoming gaze. Ola! Feliz Navidad! ...

Graves’ Study

When relating a client anecdote or example, avoid describing it clinically. Don't fabricate your stories, unless you have the writing skill and creativity of Graves. Not many of us do. Recall the actual event, so that your voice and descriptions are graphic, detailed, and of...

The Cult of Colman

Commit to your material. Be excited about sharing your unique approach. And focus on genuinely connecting with your audience. Then speak as often and wherever you can....

Stuff Happens

There is no question that stuff will happen when you present. Be ready and expect it. The gracefulness and candor you exhibit when things go awry is critical....

Better Call Saul

We recently watched the Season 4 finale of Better Call Saul.  While arguing for his reinstatement as an attorney, character Jimmy McGill put down the letter he was reading from his deceased brother Charles. He went “off script” and tearfully described the conflicted, as well as...

Seinfeld

Speakers, like comedians, have to work on delivery and content. The more you do, the easier it becomes. Start in low-ante situations, the way Seinfeld performs in comedy clubs to test new material. Introduce a colleague, deliver a lunch-and-learn, or facilitate a panel and watch...

Colored Pencils

Pianist Joyce Yang sees music in colors and shapes. She can’t help it; she has synesthesia, a condition where one sense activates another. In Yang’s case, hearing music triggers color. She sees black notes on white paper and her brain processes flashes of silver,...